Constitution

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to Mississippi's voting eligibility rules, explicitly requiring that only U.S. citizens may vote in state or local elections and referendums. It would amend Section 241 of the Mississippi Constitution to state that non-citizens, including permanent residents, are ineligible to vote, while maintaining existing requirements like residency, registration, and criminal record checks. The amendment must be approved by voters in the 2026 election. (Note: Mississippi currently prohibits non-citizens from voting, but this would make citizenship a constitutional requirement.)

This constitutional amendment (HC 16) would require people charged with offenses punishable by over one year in prison ("bail restricted offenses") to post a secured bond (money, property, or surety) for release before trial. It prohibits unsecured release options like "release on own recognizance" for these cases, though judges could still grant unsecured release in limited circumstances under "sound discretion." The amendment, if approved by voters in 2026, would change Mississippi's constitutional bail standards for serious crimes.

This bill proposes amending Mississippi's constitution to update signature requirements for citizen-initiated constitutional amendments. It changes the rule that limited signatures from any single congressional district to a fixed percentage of the total required, instead aligning that limit with the current number of congressional districts (as determined by the latest federal census). This adjustment directly affects citizens collecting signatures for initiative petitions, requiring them to distribute signatures more evenly across all current districts rather than the outdated district count used when the constitution was written. The change ensures the signature distribution rule matches Mississippi's current congressional map.

HC 39 is a proposed constitutional amendment (referred to the Constitution committee but died there in February 2026) that would remove all voting restrictions based on past criminal convictions from Mississippi's Constitution. If passed, it would amend Section 241 to eliminate the current disqualification for individuals convicted of "disenfranchising crimes," allowing all eligible residents (meeting age, citizenship, residency, and registration requirements) to vote regardless of past criminal history. The bill directly affects Mississippi residents with prior felony convictions who otherwise qualify to vote under existing state law. The amendment would require voter approval in the November 2026 election, as specified in the resolution.

This bill proposes amending Mississippi's constitution to update signature requirements for citizen-initiated constitutional amendments. It directly affects people gathering signatures for initiative petitions by requiring that no single congressional district's signatures exceed the total required signatures divided by the current number of congressional districts. The key mechanism ensures signatures are distributed proportionally across all active districts, preventing any one district from dominating the petition process. This change would align the initiative process with current congressional boundaries after redistricting.